tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22379723630338170272018-03-05T07:54:32.984-08:00Dispatches From the Real WorldEliza Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05259562378445586899noreply@blogger.comBlogger492125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2237972363033817027.post-73277624526284284852011-12-22T19:17:00.000-08:002011-12-22T19:17:00.119-08:00North Dakota and Other JokesTonight I hung out with Ruth.&nbsp; We watched some bad tv together, making fun of the shows.&nbsp; <br />When I first got there, Claire and her were talking about crepes, and she asked me if Americans had them.&nbsp; I told her yes, but I pronounced the word differently, and then she made fun of me.&nbsp; <br />We had a good series of giggles, and I laughed so loudly and long that I think I frightened other people away.&nbsp; Ruth has no tolerance for American television, which means she made a lot of faces of horror and disgust.&nbsp; I turned on a crappy sci-fi show and we began making fun of how racist and xenophobic it is.&nbsp; Afterwards, I turned on a show with a hot guy, and things calmed down.&nbsp; <br />Ruth was doing some research, and she told me that the Eisenhower Library charges seventy-five cents per page to print information for you.&nbsp; We talked about how steep and crazy that was.&nbsp; (It really is.)&nbsp; The library is in Missouri, and Ruth's not really interested in going all the way out there, "Even if it's in Kansas City, which is big," she said.<br />"Oh, there's Tennesse," she said, looking on Google maps.&nbsp; <br />"It's not that close to Tennesse," I told her.<br />Then Ruth went off about the middle of the country having absolutely nothing.&nbsp; <br />"Have you ever been to North Dakota?" she asked.&nbsp; Then she started planning her trip there.<br />Two minutes later: "Did you know that there are two&nbsp;Hicksville's in the U.S.?&nbsp; Do you want to go?"<br />I don't want to go, Ruth.<br />"Why not?&nbsp;&nbsp;What more do you want in life?"<br />She is very cross with me for not going.<br />"It has a mall," she said, trying to get me to come.&nbsp; And then she started talking about how malls are awful.<br />"It has a vitamin shop," she said, trying,&nbsp;again, to get me to come.<br />"I saw an advert&nbsp;for IHOP; I don't remember what it is."<br />"I might have to go to&nbsp;Hicksville.&nbsp;&nbsp;It's probably just as shit as the rest&nbsp;of New York."<br />Then she started using&nbsp;Google's Streetview to look at the city.<br />"There's nothing here!&nbsp; I'm going to check out the mall."<br />Then she&nbsp;found a store that sold shoes for "problem feet."&nbsp; Which led into a fight over how to pronounce "podatrist."&nbsp; <br />She explained to me that England only has dentists.&nbsp; And then looked up a list of the famous people from North Dakota.&nbsp; <br />"Sam Anderson's from North Dakota?" I asked.<br />"Apparently."<br />North Dakota has some famous&nbsp;people,&nbsp;who I hadn't&nbsp;heard of.<br />We both knew who Leonard Peltier was, so I guess we weren't completely out of our league.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <br />"We can go to a rodeo and a powwow.&nbsp; It's part of their culture."<br />Okay, okay.&nbsp; <br />"I think they are faking this 14 days of fun.&nbsp; It won't load!"<br />Then she started researching weird deaths.&nbsp; In between, the North Dakota page loaded.&nbsp; "Look, they have peacocks and snow!&nbsp; People jog there!"<br />"People jog here," I say.<br />"That's because you've never been there," she said.&nbsp; <br />They also have the world's largest catfish, which she told me all about.&nbsp; <br />"North Dakota has a special place in my heart," she said.&nbsp; <br />She got excited for their manufacturing plants and their tax rise.&nbsp; "They must be crazy," she said, about the latter.&nbsp; "And they extended it for 2016, because they're crazy."&nbsp; <br />I told her I was tired, and she gave me the chance to go to bed.Eliza Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05259562378445586899noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2237972363033817027.post-12577280304228267432011-10-28T04:26:00.000-07:002011-10-28T04:27:05.144-07:00Benjamin Andre 3000<a href="http://afternoonsnoozebutton.com/post/12025103737/ben-jammin">This</a> might be the best picture of a founding father ever.Eliza Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05259562378445586899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2237972363033817027.post-71735748137495571532011-09-25T18:40:00.000-07:002011-09-25T18:43:50.358-07:00What if the Tea Party Was Black?<center><iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/ZtH7vH4yRcY" allowfullscreen="" width="560" frameborder="0" height="315"></iframe></center><br />I am totally fascinated with this rap song, which asks listeners to consider what a black Tea Party would look like. <br />I like that this song questions how white people are given far more leeway when it comes to their behavior. They are allowed to make militant speeches or express anger without it being stereotyped as angry or dangerous.Eliza Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05259562378445586899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2237972363033817027.post-86849742644546995412011-09-23T18:36:00.000-07:002011-09-23T18:38:15.834-07:00Mother and Baby GiraffeThis is possible the <a href="http://www.commercialappeal.com/photos/galleries/2008/oct/10/new-baby-giraffe-memphis-zoo/">cutest picture featuring giraffes</a> I have ever seen. The Memphis Zoo is super lucky.Eliza Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05259562378445586899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2237972363033817027.post-90513487927259973712011-09-23T13:16:00.000-07:002011-09-23T13:18:21.523-07:00Charts and GraphsFound this great bit from <span style="font-style: italic;">How I Met Your Mother</span> featuring <a href="http://ifthatswhatyoureinto.tumblr.com/post/10548039437">Marshall's graphs and charts</a>. I know lots of people who organize their life this way (myself sometimes included.) I really love that he ranked U.S. Presidents by how dirty they sound. That strikes me as a surprisingly good party game.Eliza Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05259562378445586899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2237972363033817027.post-71101252500957455962011-09-19T08:04:00.000-07:002011-09-19T08:08:44.280-07:00Report CardsThere's this great little story today about a man who saved a <a href="http://www.slate.com/id/2301449/">small group of report cards</a> from the Manhattan Trade School for Girls and the stories he discovered there. This is such a great moment of an amateur historian working with a primary source. I love that he contacted the families and gave them information they might not otherwise have. <br />That said, I'm not sure if I want my future family members seeing my report cards. Mostly they are decent, but if there are the kinds of notes that these have, then really, even I don't want to know.Eliza Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05259562378445586899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2237972363033817027.post-14698104080887899192011-09-15T18:26:00.001-07:002011-09-15T18:39:08.774-07:00Seperate and UnequalSo, a few days ago I wrote about how <a href="http://dispatchesfromtherealworld.blogspot.com/2011/09/hope-springs-eternal.html">I didn't think men were obsolete/less important</a>. And thankfully, <a href="http://www.slate.com/id/2303907/">someone agrees with me</a>. Sort of. Christina Hoff Sommers talks about how men are more likely to run for political office, are more likely to win Nobel prizes, get patents, etc. But then she makes all kind of assumptions about gender that make me want to gag. She assumes men are by nature, more violent. She talks about their economic power as if it was their right and as if capitalism were okay. Oh, and she assumes there's nothing wrong with the military. She basically says that women are separate but equal, even though she should know better than that. And honestly, some of her claims make me feel like she isn't really talking about the original article that touched off all this debate in the first place.<br />All of this is so frustrating. The obsolete question seems like the wrong framework to even be dealing with this issue. We need to celebrate gains (especially for queer women, women of color, disabled women, etc.) and acknowledge all the work that needs to be done. Men are not inherently anything; it's all cultural, so they can't be obsolete; the only thing obsolete is the way some of them have been raised.Eliza Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05259562378445586899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2237972363033817027.post-64377126661793435732011-09-13T19:28:00.000-07:002011-09-13T19:42:22.402-07:00Hope Springs EternalSo Hanna Rosin's article last year called "The End of Men" was just this totally talked about piece. And it poses some interesting theories, which I found myself revisiting when I read <a href="http://www.slate.com/id/2303759/entry/33571/">this interview with her</a>.<br />I'd like to start off by saying that I find no use for men. By this I mean I find no use for the stereotypical bro/vague jerk that most men are. The only men I like are men who act like women and certain flavors of gentlemen. Otherwise, they just a waste. One of the problems I have with this article is its broad category of men. Even my categories are too broad for generalization, so this one is too.<br />At one point in the article, there's discussion of how men are nowhere near as successful as women, but there still people's boyfriends. And I find this troublesome because I don't want a deadbeat, and frankly, I don't think that should be heterosexual women's one option: someone useless. I'd rather be alone. I'd rather be with someone with goals, even if those goals exist outside of a capitalist framework of valuable work. <br />I also dislike the assumption that men are somehow going to have less cultural or political power just because they're losing other power. I suspect that male-centrism will probably hold on pretty tight, and there will unfortunately be plenty of women who, with false conscienceness, will let them. And you know, just because women are making money doesn't mean they are controlling it. Women's labor has been more prevalent for a much longer time than Rosin is talking about, but it hasn't been paid. Also, thinking of it within a framework of capitalism is misleading anyway, since everyone within a capitalist system is inherently oppressed.Eliza Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05259562378445586899noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2237972363033817027.post-27561334789563752422011-09-13T19:08:00.000-07:002011-09-13T19:15:39.673-07:00Jane Austen's Bad GirlsSo I read this really interesting little <a href="http://austenprose.com/2011/09/12/the-twelfth-enchantment-blog-tour-with-author-david-liss/">discussion of Jane Austen's bad girls</a>. What struck me about these articles is that often Jane Austen's bad girls are bad for pursuing sex outside of marriage, which automatically makes them bad (and, you'll notice, are always punished for, both by society and by the men who sleep with them.) And, really, that's something I honestly can't get behind.Eliza Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05259562378445586899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2237972363033817027.post-79664126762659991632011-09-12T02:56:00.001-07:002011-09-12T03:01:39.561-07:00Paul Simon on 9/11So yesterday was 9/11. I was planning on avoiding the whole thing, because so much of the politics of it (using it as an excuse to destroy civil liberties, etc.) strikes me as insulting to the victims and their families. They deserve more than just a means to an end. <br />But yesterday I found myself up in the morning so I watched some of it with my Mom. One of my favorite parts was the below video. <br /><center><iframe width="560" height="345" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/3np0DMxXKzM" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></center><br />I love Paul Simon's "Bridge Over Troubled Water" which might have been more appropriate, but this clip was great too.Eliza Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05259562378445586899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2237972363033817027.post-17326676778279139802011-09-09T06:35:00.001-07:002011-09-09T06:39:10.248-07:00Magic School Bus!<center><iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/670eR6_UOFA" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="345" width="420"></iframe></center><br />I found this great video of <span style="font-style: italic;">The Magic School Bus</span> online. (Apparently all of the episodes are on YouTube.) I actually remember watching this as a young girl. I totally wanted to have field trips this cool.<br />What I didn't remember was how delightful the individual kids were. I'd kind of like to know what happened to them post-Miz Frizzle's class.<br />Speaking of Mis Frizzle: I had no idea that Lily Tomlin did her voice. I guess that explains why I love her so much. I kind of want to see a life action version of this show, with Alex Kingston in the teacher role.Eliza Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05259562378445586899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2237972363033817027.post-4308515863670309132011-09-06T05:08:00.001-07:002011-09-06T05:18:40.626-07:00Notes of the Death PenaltySo I spent the morning reading up on the death penalty. I read this story about <a href="http://www.maryellenmark.com/text/magazines/rolling%20stone/920S-000-011.html">a young man who may have confessed to a crime he might not have committed</a>. I couldn't believe some of the details of this story: a man killed his possibly cheating wife, stuffed her in a car and then drove around to show people. I can't believe people say there is gender equality when things like this happen. <br />And then I read up on what John Paul Stevens, the former Supreme Court justice, thinks about the <a href="http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/2010/dec/23/death-sentence/?pagination=false">death penalty in reference to a particular book on the subject</a>. There were lots of good facts in here too. Michigan (!) apparently made the revolutionary decision to outlaw the death penalty for everything except treason in 1846. And then after that, they decided that the state had to wait fifteen years before killing someone. And that 130 people have been set free (mostly from DNA evidence) since 1973.Eliza Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05259562378445586899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2237972363033817027.post-83599753144064801392011-09-01T18:30:00.000-07:002011-09-01T18:44:59.333-07:00Following the Bible LiterallyI found this really interesting <a href="http://www.slate.com/id/2302892/">woman who is following the Bible literally</a>, or a literally as possible. What got my attention first about this woman, Evans, is that she is writing about gender issues and not motherhood, which I am sort of sick of reading about. That she can think critically about religion intrigues me further.
<br />Following the Bible literally would be both easy and hard for me:
<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Dressing modesty</span> Generally not a problem for me, but it does make shopping hard. Also, defining modest is kind of a problem. Would this include covering my head, because, if so, I've been failing on that one for a long time.
<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Submitting to my husband</span> Something I don't have, but submitting to my father would be impossible. Ironically, he would totally disapprove of this project.
<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Removing myself while menstruating</span> I have friends who would probably love to follow this rule since they basically end up doing it anyway. I would hate this, especially since this doesn't seem to affect my life anywhere near the way it affects others.
<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Growing my hair out</span> Got this one covered: I hate getting my hair done. Please, I would love an excuse.
<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Staying silent in churches</span> I dislike that women have to do this, but at the same time, I hate people who talk in church. Church is a time to talk to God; it's the one time of the week most people do it so seriously, they can actually make an effort to not carry on about what someone is wearing.
<br />...Actually, that was not as bad as I thought it would be. The other general rules of the Bible (swearing, honoring elders, staying away from blended fabric) would be harder for me.
<br />Eliza Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05259562378445586899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2237972363033817027.post-71205585919775055302011-09-01T15:38:00.000-07:002011-09-01T15:44:45.922-07:00Something Wicked Comes This WayI really need to stop shopping online for books, because I am constantly finding new things I want to read (and also, not getting any real reading done.) For example, I really want to take a look at <span style="font-style: italic;">Wicked Plants</span> based on a <a href="http://www.abebooks.com/books/interview-wicked-plants-morrow-cribbs/amy-stewart.shtml">interview and review that said it was particularly gory</a>.
<br />Also, Freud did cocaine?
<br />Eliza Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05259562378445586899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2237972363033817027.post-22552515268727041112011-08-31T17:12:00.000-07:002011-08-31T17:22:06.752-07:00ICP, Jack White and Mozart Walk Into a Bar...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.allaccess.com/assets/img/editorial/raw/ja/JackWhite.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 183px; height: 244px;" src="http://www.allaccess.com/assets/img/editorial/raw/ja/JackWhite.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Okay, so Insane Clown Posse and Jack White are teaming up to rework a Mozart song about...well, <a href="http://www.avclub.com/articles/jack-white-produced-an-insane-clown-posse-cover-of,61161/">you can read about it</a>. Mostly, I'm just too busy trying to figure out why Meg White wasn't invited along, because seriously, that is the only thing that would be more surreal.
<br />You know what, nevermind: nothing can make this any weirder.
<br />Eliza Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05259562378445586899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2237972363033817027.post-17140473353566730772011-08-29T17:16:00.000-07:002011-08-29T17:19:12.366-07:00Signed BibleHonestly, Jesus, <a href="http://www.dangerousminds.net/comments/the_holy_bible_autographed_by_jesus_on_ebay/">you dot your i's with hearts</a>? I never did that, not even as a little girl.
<br />Eliza Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05259562378445586899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2237972363033817027.post-71531400339054714722011-08-28T19:04:00.001-07:002011-08-28T19:12:16.736-07:00Only in New York<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.oceansbridge.com/paintings/museums/met-museum/big/Charles-Peale-Polk-xx-George-Washington-1790.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 182px; height: 226px;" src="http://www.oceansbridge.com/paintings/museums/met-museum/big/Charles-Peale-Polk-xx-George-Washington-1790.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>So, reading up on history today, and apparently <a href="http://ephemeralnewyork.wordpress.com/2011/08/29/a-new-york-mayors-bizarre-kidnapping-plot/">there was a mayor of New York who tried to have George Washington killed</a>. Yes, <span style="font-style: italic;">that</span> George Washington.
<br />I tend to tell my friends stories from history a fair amount of the time. I think some of them think I'm making them up, which is why I can't tell them this story because it is way too crazy. There are too many details that sound made up, like the fact that this idea was planned out in a tavern. The moment that came out of my mouth everyone would think this was a tall tale. Me? I think it's the sort of thing that could only happen in New York.
<br />Eliza Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05259562378445586899noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2237972363033817027.post-7715414802067294262011-08-22T17:31:00.001-07:002011-08-22T17:40:12.252-07:00Good GriefI guess this is what I get for not paying attention to literature, because <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2011/aug/19/grief-memoir-oates-didion-orourke">apparently everyone is writing grief memoirs</a>.
<br />I don't know if I particularly care or mind that it's all about grief right now. I've tried writing about grief; it's hard. It usually requires a certain amount of backstory to make the readers understand it. And it's so easy to slip into ridiculous language and metaphors. Really, I would wish people would write about difficult subjects more often.
<br />Otherwise, I really liked this article because I learned some things. I had no idea who had founded the five stages of grief, for example. (This woman also insisted that grief must be told to be healed, an idea I also really like.) I also loved the term "writing meat" that Muriel Spark used. Seems like a really wonderful term. And apparently T.S. Eliot used the image of "shoring these fragments against our ruin," which I also really like.
<br />Eliza Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05259562378445586899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2237972363033817027.post-47923096256956002882011-08-22T14:20:00.000-07:002011-08-22T14:25:52.920-07:00Bachman and TerrorismNate and I have been talking (and making jokes about) Michele Bachman all summer. Today I read that one of <a href="http://www.democracynow.org/2011/8/22/headlines#11">Bachman's staffer was charged with terrorism</a>.
<br />As weird as this might be to say, I'm a little relieved. When I saw it had to do with Uganda, the first thing I thought was "Oh no, this is going to be about one her staffers being involved with that anti-homosexual movement there that has so quickly become violent" especially since other religious right leaders got involved and (if there is anything even vaguely Christian in them) hopefully regret it.
<br />However, this charge of terrorism is really fascinating. It is the sort of thing that Republicans would accuse Democrats of doing. I wonder if the mainstream media will report this and what they will say. (And, obviously, what Bachman will have to say about it.)
<br />Eliza Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05259562378445586899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2237972363033817027.post-35012989150782449712011-08-20T18:04:00.000-07:002011-08-20T18:07:53.726-07:00Museum Sign<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i.imgur.com/YVcru.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 544px; height: 306px;" src="http://i.imgur.com/YVcru.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>
<br />I couldn't help but smile when I saw this. I really hope an intern did this.
<br />Eliza Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05259562378445586899noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2237972363033817027.post-58880713953754618572011-08-19T15:17:00.000-07:002011-08-20T14:51:40.044-07:00"Rocket Scientist" by Teddybears<center><iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/3bXroKTtVKc" allowfullscreen="" width="420" frameborder="0" height="345"></iframe></center>
<br />I have this weird love of science songs. (See what I mean in that last sentence about weird?)
<br />I actually first got into this song because of Eve, who I always liked for being a strong woman in the songs I heard her rap on. And then I really fell in love with this song for the heavy beats that sort of reminded me of a techno-influenced Spoon.
<br />There's also something just really silly about this song. I think if someone read me these lyrics, I would think they were awful, but hear I am, dancing to this song. Eliza Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05259562378445586899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2237972363033817027.post-15027442435166484482011-08-17T14:22:00.000-07:002011-08-17T14:34:29.723-07:00Uncontacted Tribe<center><iframe width="560" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/sLErPqqCC54" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></center>
<br />So, I hate to admit it, but I initially started watching this video because Gillian Anderson was narrating it.
<br />But it's really cool. I'm so use to hearing narratives about how "civilized" people come into these "uncivilized" people's lives and destroy their culture. I am so glad that they are trying not to do that here and are even trying to prevent invaders. Eliza Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05259562378445586899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2237972363033817027.post-50526724296616032772011-08-16T19:08:00.000-07:002011-08-16T19:22:33.026-07:00Harry Potter Ruined My LifeToday I happened to read this article called <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/14/magazine/regrets-of-a-semiprofessional-harry-potterphile.html?_r=1">"Regrets of a Semiprofessional Potterphile."</a> The author discusses how it was a relief that Harry Potter is officially over. No more new movies or books.
<br />I remember when the last book came out, Sam said something to me about what a relief it would be to finally be done with the story. That word "relief" stuck in my head. I didn't remember feeling relief but maybe a little bit of closure. And, moreover, the best kind of closure, the kind that makes you look back fondly but still with a sense of wondering what happened afterward.
<br />Reading this article and reflecting back on some of the negative things people have said about their Harry Potter experiences have made me grateful my experience was mostly positive. Most of the negative things about my own experience happened early on with the cultural dominance of the series and not later on. I'm wondering if my ability to pull back from the books and get obsessed with other things (school in general, history, Robert Sean Leonard, <span style="font-style: italic;">Lost</span>) was good for me. (And maybe what didn't happen to everyone, though I can't obviously speak for themselves.)
<br />Hilariously enough, my obsession probably ended around the time when the fifth book came out, which, considering how long ago that way and how long this thing lasted, seems early. I saw some of the movies (often soured on what I thought was poor depictions of the books) and I read the books the moment they came out, but that was sort of it. I didn't read much fanfiction or talk anymore on Internet chat forums. And when I did chat about the series, it was usually because someone would bring it up. For me, the series was done before it really was done, and maybe that's made a big difference in my reaction to it. Honestly, seeing the last movie actually made me a little nostalgic (in the good way I mentioned before, the look-back-and-think-fondly) and want to go back to Hogwarts for a weekend or two.
<br />Eliza Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05259562378445586899noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2237972363033817027.post-54870737785483612682011-08-14T18:57:00.000-07:002011-08-14T19:05:52.073-07:00SickishI was planning on going to a picnic, but I just sort of fell apart as I was trying to get ready, so I laid down in my bed and decided to just forget about it. I feel bad about this, because I said I was coming and because I don't really think I deserved an invitation in the first place, but I had this massive headache. I don't get headaches much, but in the last week I've had them every day.
<br />My Mom came in to check on me because she remembered my plans. (I wish she didn't, honestly.) And I told her I didn't feel well. My Dad stopped in to tell me he was going out to get some sandwiches for my Mom and her friend (who was visiting) and would I like something. And I asked for one too, in the hopes that some food would make me feel better.
<br />When my Dad came back I went to the kitchen to eat, wearing my sunglasses. I still had a headache and light was really bothering me, and my Mom likes it to be super sunny around the house all the time, which would be fine, except in situations like this. My Mom's friend thought the sunglasses were hilarious. I was too tired to get offended by this or by my Mom's insistence to talk politics, even though I've spent about three years telling her I don't want to hear her uneducated opinions or watch her political shows.
<br />The medication in the house appears to be migratory, because every time I need it (which is once every six months, so, not often), it is somewhere else. So I had to ask. Finally, having found it, my Mom felt my head and thought maybe I had a fever. I hadn't even bothered with thought beyond the basic thoughts of how soon I could go back to bed, which I promptly did.
<br />I'm feeling much better now.
<br />Eliza Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05259562378445586899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2237972363033817027.post-69341566549527154842011-08-14T14:05:00.000-07:002011-08-14T14:24:47.668-07:00HelpingSo when Ashley told me she wanted to see <span style="font-style: italic;">The Help</span>, I groaned. (I can't remember if it was inward or not.) Like, honestly, I would rather not see another movie about benevolent white people who have no sense of larger structural oppression. I don't need to see a movie about that; I'm around white people who already think that and I see it on tv when I am trying to avoid blatant misogyny.
<br />So I was reading <a href="http://www.youngclergywomen.org/the_young_clergy_women_pr/2011/01/interpreting-the-help-or-how-to-avoid-being-racist-in-the-way-were-being-not-racist.html">this article which is written for young clergywomen about the same book</a>, and I am so glad someone finally laid a particular set of thoughts out for me that I think I've been circling for awhile but have struggled to articulate. The author writes that "the challenge of living amidst privilege can be that Jesus' teachings are incredibly indicting to our own lives, which is part of what makes stories focused on morals so much more inviting, and so much more tempting, than stories focused on ethics." Although I had never thought about it in terms of this book, I have always found all the prattle of most of my fellow Christians to be disappointingly about living to some vague moral stance more based on things like not having sex before marriage or abortions. I can't even think of a fellow Christian peer who has ever once mentioned structural problems or Jesus's work on said subject. (I had a priest who would give sermons on religious tolerance and women's unpaid and unacknowledged labor, and seriously, that guy was mostly awesome. On the other side of the religious spectrum, I can think of a few atheists who had it together when it came to these kinds of problems.)
<br />I've been meditating frequently on how disappointed I am with other Christians, because I suspect the why is important, and I think this might be a very big answer on the why. Because, ultimately, if we aren't against the forces that cause things like poverty and discrimination, that, honestly, what are we in this religion for? Are we here on earth as Christians because we want to improve our communities or because we need something to make us feel superior? If we focus on ending injustices, we are here for the community. If we focus on morals not only are we going to fall short on what God calls us to do, but we're going to end up tending to our egos and not the flock.
<br />As some other notes, I really like the rest of this article for pointing out some of the difficulties with race. I loved this quote that the author brings up "For the dishonesty upon which a society is founded makes every emotion suspect, makes it impossible to know whether what flowed between two people was honest feeling or pity or pragmatism." In this instance, it is used in the context of race, but could easily be applied to other power structures.
<br />Eliza Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05259562378445586899noreply@blogger.com0